After a rough few weeks, Ipswich Town got back to winning ways last weekend.
It may have only been Coventry City in the FA Cup, but Kieran McKenna’s side didn’t just win, they blew the Championship side away, winning 4-1.
It was the sort of performance that should get the team in the right headspace going into this afternoon’s Premier League clash away to Aston Villa.
The Claret and Blue will be a far more formidable challenge, but the Tractor Boys have already shown that they can go toe-to-toe with Unai Emery’s men, and to ensure they have the best chance of getting something from today, McKenna has to unleash his answer to the Villans’ new star, Marcus Rashford.
Ipswich's record against Villa
Since their first meeting all the way back in January 1939, Ipswich have played Villa 62 times across all competitions, winning 20, drawing 16 and losing 26.
However, the bad news for the Tractor Boys is that while their overall record against the Villans isn’t too bad, they have not fared so well across their last ten meetings, losing five games, drawing four and winning just one, which was back in February 2017.
That said, if their last encounter is anything to go by, then the Suffolk side should go into this afternoon’s game confident in their ability to get a result, as when the Claret and Blue came to Portman Road back in September they were held to a 2-2 draw.
Moreover, McKenna’s side were the better team on the day, racking up an expected goals figure of 1.18 to their 0.82, crafting four big chances to their two, having ten corners to when they had none and taking 15 shots to their seven.
However, Emery has made a number of additions to his squad since then, with Rashford the most noteworthy of the lot, although McKenna already has his answer to the 27-year-old.
McKenna's answer to Rashford
Following the win against Coventry last week, McKenna has a number of inform goalscorers he can choose from ahead of this afternoon’s game, but there is only one player who could arguably be described as his answer to Rashford: Liam Delap.
Now, before the pitchforks come out, there are a few reasons for this comparison, the first of which being that both players have moved to their new sides this season after it was clear they were not going to get any game time for their respective Manchester clubs.
The second similarity is the fact that they are both English forwards who can operate down the middle of a front three, as while the Villa loanee has historically preferred being on the left, he is more than capable of playing centrally.
Finally, when they are at their best, both players can be devastating in front of goal.
Granted, it’s been a couple of years since the Manchester-born star had his incredible season in which he scored 30 goals and provided 9 assists in 56 games, but the fact he managed to do that once suggests that in the right environment, he could do something similar once again.
Appearances
25
Minutes
1806′
Goals
9
Assists
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.44
Minutes per Goal Involvement
164.18′
In Delap’s case, we are seeing how effective he can be this season, as in just 25 appearances, totalling 1806 minutes, the 22-year-old “one-man battering ram,” as dubbed by Opta Analyst, has scored nine goals and provided two assists.
That means the Winchester-born dynamo is averaging a goal involvement every 2.27 games, or 164.18 minutes.
Ultimately, while it’s going to be an extremely tough test, Ipswich have what it takes to get a result at Villa Park this afternoon, especially with a player as gifted as Delap in their side.
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